The Significance of Names in "The Lottery"

Summary: Names are significant in Shirley Jackson's short story "The Lottery," as they assist in developing the story's theme of ritual human sacrifice. The name of the story is ingeniously designed to mislead people, and the name of the woman being sacrificed, Tessie Hutchinson, can be related to the spiritual religious leader Anne Hutchinson, who was herself exiled. By comparing Tessie Hutchinson with Anne Hutchinson, we can see Jackson's dissatisfaction towards the practice of outdated traditions.

Since the ancient times, sacrifices have been performed by different religions and cultures. One kind of sacrifice is human sacrifice. The ancient Aztec and Peruvian were particularly noted for practicing this on a large scale, e.g. a human sacrifice would be made everyday in order to aid the sun in rising. Although it is considered as murder nowadays, human sacrifice for religious reasons still exist in a number of nations, such as India. Shirley's Jackson's short story, "The Lottery", its name ingeniously designed to mislead people, explores the theme of ritual sacrifice. Through the character's names and roles, the reader can understand more about Jackson's lottery, and its actual function as a life-giving ritual sacrifice.

Mr. Summers is one of the characters whose name gives us hints to the true nature of the lottery. He plays a huge role in the operation of the lottery. His name...